"He obviously doesn't spend time here, so he doesn't know much about it."

Mr Bare said there would always be space for retail on Broadway.

"The sites from the Regent down [to The Square] will remain great shopping sites."

Most people who went to a show at the Regent usually went to the nearby bars in the arcade if they wanted to stay around, he said.

"It's always been like that, and it's only got better."

Manawatu Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stephanie Gundersen-Reid said the mayor had a point about the changing face of retailing, but it was up to those in Broadway to decide what they wanted the area to be.

"Broadway is struggling to put the finger on what it is."

Ms Gundersen-Reid said she had met with council staff last month to discuss Broadway and was planning to talk to retailers soon.

"I would rather hear it from them and see what they would like to do and, if necessary, how we can help. Through working with retailers in Broadway, we hope they say how they see it and what they would like it to be, because it's actually their place."

Broadway had the potential to be a "funky" area of the city.

"I don't think filling it with art and for-lease signs is the right way to go about it."